Independents

No, this post is not about music but rather, a new love I found today.

Moritz Grossmann is an independent German brand based in Glashutte, the cradle of German watchmaking artistry. It was founded by a legendary watchmaker of the same name (who later played a pivotal role in the establishment of the German School of Watchmaking in 1878). More recently, the brand was revived by Christine Hutter (formerly with Wempe and Lange & Sohne) in 2008.

A couple of years ago, touched by its classical feel and mesmerizing beauty, I laid my hand on one of the earlier pieces - the Benu Power Reserve in rose gold, a timepiece unveiled on the brand's inauguration in June 2013.

Here it is:

Lately, the brand did a roadshow and launched several new models including the Atum enamel, the Corner Stone and the ground-breaking Hamatic - an automatic watch that draws kinetic energy via a pendulum-style hammer weight.

The Atum enamel (limited to 25 pieces):

The GMT

The fascinating Hamatic movement

Nevertheless, my attention was quickly drawn to another beauty - the Benu Anniversary (MG001444) housed in a platinum case with deep blue grand-feu enamel dial and Arabic numerals, limited in production to 10 pieces.

The display back reveals the caliber 100.1 movement including a hand-engraved balance (adjustable in 5 positions) crafted in gold. It has a power reserve of 42 hours.

The watch measures 41 mm in diameter (my favorite size) and 11.35 mm in height. Because of the metal, it sits quite substantially on my wrist (i love heavy watches). The hands are manually crafted in stainless steel, annealed to a brown-violet hue, although hardly noticeable in this picture.

One special feature is the start of the movement with a lateral pusher near 4 o'clock, which enables accurate time-setting.

I predict this will be my favorite daily-beater for a long, long time.

More posts: GlashutteMoritz Grossmann

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